Did you know?
Youth Day’s attendance is
limited to the seating
capacity of the Convention
Center Arena – just under
15,000 youth and their
chaperones – and usually
fills to capacity by the
date of the fee increase.

Plan to attend the 2015 Los
Angeles Religious Education
Congress. The key to
registration is the
Registration Guidebook,
which comes out next month.
The Guidebook contains all
workshop and speaker
descriptions, entertainment
and liturgy options, and all
events during Congress. If
you attended RECongress
2014, you will receive the
book by mail in October. You
can also find it online once
it is printed. Online
registration will also begin
in October.

Do you own a business? Have
you considered spotlighting
it by placing an ad in the
RECongress Registration
Guidebook? For further
information contact Paulette
Smith, Congress Event
Coordinator at
pasmith@la-archdiocese.org
or go to our website
www.RECongress.org
for more information. The ad
deadline is September 19.

Pass along this emailing or
our link –
www.RECongress.org – to
receive the latest
information about Congress
2015 and encourage your
friends to sign up for our
Congress Emailing at
www.RECongress.org/optin.htm. If you do not care
to receive future updates,
you can find removal
information at the bottom of
this message.

Registration
Registration begins in
October. If you
attended RECongress 2014, you
will automatically be mailed
a Registration Guidebook. If
you need a Guidebook, please
order one here. (Guidebooks
will be available in October.)
Order a Guidebook »

Youth Day Speaker Feature: Judy
McDonald
Both Tracks at Youth Day get to see the Youth Day Arena speaker and
one additional workshop, including this
one and 11 others whose sessions are
held in the Convention Center
meeting rooms.

Judy
McDonald, a professional
comedienne for the past 20 years, is
in great demand at parishes and
conferences across the United States
and internationally. She was a
residential minister at the
University of San Diego and became
Youth Minster for the San Diego
Diocese. McDonald has been in
full-time traveling ministry for
over 10 years, including shows for
military bases in Germany, Italy,
Belgium and parishes in Ireland,
Croatia, Scotland and across the
United States.Dealing with StressAre you stressed? Does just
being asked the question stress you
out? We all get stressed from time
to time, but how we choose to deal
with it can really say something
about us. Come to this session if
you are OK with laughing and loving
God and, oh ya, totally stressed
out!Go to the Youth Day page »

Congress 2015 WelcomeSr. Edith Prendergast, RSC, Director
of the Office of Religious
Education, extends her welcome to
the 2015 Religious Education
Congress:
"Once again it is my privilege and
joy to extend to you a heartfelt
welcome to Congress 2015. Each year
you bless us with your presence,
your enthusiasm and your ongoing
commitment to share the Good News of
our rich Catholic story and
traditions.

"The theme chosen for Congress 2015
– “See” – inspired by the
blind man’s extraordinary encounter
with Jesus (John 9:1-41) challenges
us to SEE anew, to peer beneath the
surface and see more deeply. We are
invited to open wide not only our
physical eyes, but also the eyes of
the heart, the eyes of our memory
and perceive God’s presence in all
of life, in joy, in pain, in
struggle. ..."

Read the Director's complete
reflection about this year's
Congress theme – and many past
themes – online on our Themes page.
See the Welcome letter
»

RECongress Spotlight: Sacred SpaceFriday
through Sunday – Convention 304Break away from the busyness of
the day’s events and enter a space
dedicated to facilitating a sense of
spiritual rejuvenation. Our Sacred
Space will offer Eucharistic
Adoration in the Chapel, the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, a
labyrinth, art and music. View the
Stations of the Cross video from
Congress 2014, "A Journey of Hope
Along the Migrant Trail: A Via
Crucis."

Congress Speaker Feature: Clarissa
Valbuena Aljentera
Over the three days, Congress 2015 will offer over 300 workshops presented by
more than 200 speakers. Topics range from personal growth to music to spiritual topics – in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Each Emailing we spotlight one
of those speakers:

National
speaker, consultant and writer
Clarissa Aljentera is
Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation
and Media Resources for the Office
for Catechesis and Youth Ministry in
the Chicago Archdiocese, where she
is also an Adult Confirmation
Catechist. Aljentera has presented
at local and national events. She
published “The Parish Guide to
Social Media” in 2013. Originally a
newspaper reporter from California,
she now performs “improv” and writes
rap based on Scripture.

I Am Over Facebook! Exploring
Other Social Media Sites to Help
Parish Leaders Remain RelevantInstead of feeling helpless when
it comes to navigating social media,
learn to harness new energy and
potential to evangelize and
communicate with others. Move beyond
the standard parish website and
Facebook page and familiarize
yourself with other social media
sites. In this workshop, we’ll look
at social media strategies to share
our faith beyond the pews. Parish
leaders can learn tools and tips
that can assist them in
communication.

The Write Way! Using Creative
Writing as a Way to Access Prayer
and SpiritualityThe written word has a powerful
effect on an author and his or her
readers. The hands of a writer are
the instruments God uses to convey
humor, compassion and joy. In this
workshop, we’ll explore writing as a
way to have an intimate conversation
with God. Whether writing for an
audience or just writing for
oneself, learn more about writing as
a form of prayer. Clarissa Aljentera
will use storytelling, rap and
Scripture to convey her message. No
writing experience is necessary!Go to the Speakers page »

Just for Southern CaliforniansRalphs Grocery Company, a major
supermarket chain in the Southern
California area, supports schools,
churches and other non-profit
organizations with annual
contributions. The Los Angeles
Religious Education Congress is a
member of Ralphs Community
Contributions Program. Simply by
using your Ralphs rewards Card a
portion of eligible purchases are
contributed to the RECongress. This
is an annual program that must be
renewed each year. The current
term ends August 31, 2015. If you were part
of the program last year, we thank
you, but everyone needs to re-enroll
again for this year's term.

We encourage all Ralphs shoppers to
sign up for the free Ralphs rewards
Card and register their card with
the Community Contributions Program.
It’s easy! Every time you shop for
groceries and scan your card at
Ralphs, RECongress will
automatically earn up to 5% of all
eligible purchases per enrolled
card. Sign up now! It’s never been
easier to contribute to the
RECongress.

RECongress.org
You can find all Congress
information and updates online. Our
upcoming RECongress Emailings will
feature some Congress Spotlights and
we will be adding speaker and hotel
information. Check our site for
updates and announcements.Go to RECongress.org
»

RECongress Emailing
Be sure to sign-up for this
twice-a-month Emailing about
the latest Congress updates and
information. You may
opt out from our Congress Emailing
at any time from the "Manage Your
Subscription" link below.